Business website cost in Sri Lanka (2026)
Last updated: 26 August 2026 · Reviewed: 26 August 2026 · By: Alston Antony
A typical 4 to 8 page Sri Lankan business website costs LKR 60,000 to LKR 250,000 as a one-off from a freelancer or small studio, with annual running costs of LKR 15,000 to LKR 40,000 for domain, hosting, SSL and small maintenance. A DIY build on WordPress lands at LKR 15,000 to LKR 60,000 in year one. A larger Sri Lankan agency for the same scope quotes LKR 400,000 and up.
Business website price by delivery model
Business website cost in Sri Lanka splits cleanly by who delivers it. A solo freelancer and a 15-person agency are different products at different price points, not different amounts of the same product. The table names the LKR band for a standard 4 to 8 page brochure business site in 2026.
| Delivery | Scope | Price range | Typical timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| DIY (WordPress + theme) | 4 to 6 pages, self-built | 15,000 to 60,000 | 2 to 6 weeks part-time |
| Freelancer, template | 4 to 8 pages, off-the-shelf theme | 60,000 to 150,000 | 3 to 5 weeks |
| Freelancer, custom design | 8 to 12 pages, tailored layouts | 120,000 to 300,000 | 5 to 8 weeks |
| Small studio | Business site plus light brand work | 150,000 to 400,000 | 4 to 8 weeks |
| Larger agency | Multi-department, integrations, brand rebuild | 400,000+ | 8 to 14 weeks |
What actually drives the number on your quotation
Business website cost is a scope calculation, not a shelf price. Six factors move the LKR figure more than any single design decision, and understanding them is how you shorten the gap between the cheapest and most expensive quote you receive.
- Unique page templates. Ten pages that share two layouts are one week of design work. Ten pages with six unique layouts are three weeks.
- Copywriting. A designer supplying finished copy adds LKR 20,000 to LKR 80,000. Ask about copy scope explicitly, or it lands on you at week four.
- Photography. Stock photos are free to LKR 10,000. A half-day shoot for a small business runs LKR 25,000 to LKR 80,000 in Colombo.
- Sinhala and Tamil. A trilingual site is a distinct scope item, with webfont setup, translated copy, and per-language QA. Budget an extra 30% to 60% on top of the English build.
- Integrations. WhatsApp Business handoff, a booking widget, PayHere for a deposit, or a CRM sync each add real build hours.
- Post-launch support. A month of free fixes is standard. Anything beyond it is a retainer at LKR 5,000 to LKR 25,000 per month.
Recurring annual costs, itemised
Running costs are the number many Sri Lankan business owners under-budget for year two. A LKR 150,000 build with LKR 25,000 a year in running costs is a smaller total-cost surprise than a LKR 60,000 build with LKR 90,000 in year-two renewals nobody explained.
| Item | Typical range | Source |
|---|---|---|
| .lk domain, standard package | 3,500 to 8,000 / year | LKR 8,000 direct from LK Domain Registry, LKR 6,500 at LankaHost year one, LKR 4,500 at Register.lk on promotion |
| .com domain | 4,500 to 5,800 / year | Register.lk lists Rs 4,700 first year, Rs 5,000 at renewal |
| Shared hosting | 5,000 to 18,000 / year | Local shared plan for a small business site |
| Business email, per mailbox | 7,000 to 15,000 / year | Google Workspace Business Starter or Zoho Mail |
| SSL | 0 to 15,000 / year | Free Let's Encrypt covers most SL business sites |
| Maintenance retainer, optional | 15,000 to 100,000+ / year | Monthly retainer for updates and edits |
The agency premium, examined
Agencies argue that a higher LKR price reflects more delivery. For a straightforward 4 to 8 page brochure site with a single decision-maker on the client side, it does not. An agency at LKR 400,000 and a freelancer at LKR 120,000 typically ship the same site to the same standard, on similar timelines. The freelancer route works when your side is small, decisive, and comfortable with one point of contact.
The agency premium earns its keep when the project is genuinely multi-team. A brand rebuild with logo, guidelines, photography, and site rollout in the same brief. A WooCommerce catalogue migration from 500 SKUs across three platforms. A committee client side where three approvers need managing. In those cases the LKR 400,000 to LKR 900,000 band buys you a project manager, formal QA, and a contract you can enforce, and it is worth it.
For everything else, the value point in Sri Lanka is a competent freelancer or a 2 to 5 person studio. Ask for three references, run one, and check whether their live sites still load fast a year later, that is the receipt that matters.
Sample budgets by Sri Lankan business type
Business website spend correlates with what the site is doing, not with the size of the business. A one-branch dental clinic and a five-branch fashion retailer often land in the same LKR band. The examples below are the mid-points we see most often in Sri Lankan quotations for these categories.
- Small hotel or guesthouse, 6 to 8 pages, booking form. LKR 120,000 to LKR 250,000 build. LKR 25,000 to LKR 45,000 per year running. Add booking widget integration if you take payment online.
- Solo professional (lawyer, doctor, accountant), 4 to 6 pages. LKR 60,000 to LKR 180,000 build. LKR 18,000 to LKR 30,000 per year running.
- Retail brand, 8 to 12 pages, no online store. LKR 200,000 to LKR 500,000 build. LKR 30,000 to LKR 60,000 per year running.
- Restaurant with menu and Sinhala + Tamil pages. LKR 150,000 to LKR 350,000 build. LKR 25,000 to LKR 50,000 per year running.
- Manufacturing or B2B services, 12 to 20 pages, downloadable brochures. LKR 300,000 to LKR 800,000 build. LKR 40,000 to LKR 100,000 per year running.
Get comparable quotes for your business site
Share your rough scope, we will help you compare itemised quotations from vetted Sri Lankan providers.
Frequently asked questions
What is the minimum realistic business website cost in Sri Lanka?
LKR 15,000 to LKR 25,000 in the first year if you build it yourself with WordPress, a decent free theme, and shared hosting. LKR 60,000 to LKR 120,000 if a competent Sri Lankan freelancer builds a 4 to 6 page brochure site for you. Below LKR 60,000 for a done-for-you build usually means a template with placeholder copy dropped in.
Why do business website prices vary so much between quotations?
Number of pages, number of unique layouts, whether copywriting and photography are in scope, integrations like PayHere or booking systems, and whether the seller is a freelancer, a small studio, or a larger agency. A 4-page brochure and a 12-page site with a blog are the same category of build for a client and completely different scopes for a designer.
Should I pay the full amount upfront?
No. A standard Sri Lankan schedule is 40% deposit at kickoff, 30% at design approval, and 30% at launch. Some studios use 50 / 25 / 25 for shorter projects. Full payment upfront to a designer you have not worked with before is the single most common way clients lose money on Sri Lankan web projects.
Does a business website need a .lk or a .com?
Either works technically. A .lk is a Sri Lankan ccTLD, which is an entity signal to Google for Sri Lankan intent and a clear signal to Sri Lankan buyers. A .com carries a broader default of trust and works if you also serve international customers. Many Sri Lankan businesses buy both and forward one to the other.
How long does a Sri Lankan business website take to build?
3 to 5 weeks with a freelancer, 4 to 8 weeks with a small studio, and 8 to 14 weeks with a larger agency for the same 4 to 8 page scope. Delays are almost always about client-side content, not code. Sites where the client provides finished copy and photos on day one launch on time.
Sources & references
- LK Domain Registry — .lk pricing categories and VAT-inclusive rates (checked 26 Aug 2026)
- LankaHost .lk price list — Reseller pricing on .lk categories (checked 26 Aug 2026)
- Register.lk pricing — .com and .lk plus hosting bundles (checked 26 Aug 2026)
- Google Workspace Business Starter — Per-mailbox pricing for business email (checked 26 Aug 2026)